PM-approved mandate said not as broad as hostage negotiators requested, but enough for progress to be made

Before dispatching a mid-level Israeli negotiating team to Doha for follow-up hostage talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a conference call with top security officials where they discussed the scope of the mandate that Israel’s negotiators would enjoy while in Qatar.

The mandate approved by Netanyahu was not as broad as the negotiators requested. However, it was still large enough for additional progress to be made, Channel 12 reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The Walla news site reports that the Israeli negotiating team has already wrapped up the first round of talks in Doha this evening.